Improvement in machines for producing stereotype matrices



UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER SHILAND, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 119,537, dated October 3, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALEXANDER SHrLAND, of West Troy, in the county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in an apparatus for making impressions of letters, characters, or figures in wax and other suitable material, for forming electrotype and stereotype-molds, and for printing or cutting out of paper or stamping` in wood or soft metal the said letters or figures; and I do hereby declare that the following is a description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing' forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of the apparatus illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a crosssection of the same at line No. l in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same at line No. 2 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical cross'- section of a modification of a part of the apparatus. Fig'. 5 is a front view of the saine. Fig. Gis a vertical view from above of the same. Figs. 7 and 8 are some of the many modifications of the Jlingers or arms carrying the type.

My invention relates to certain improvements in an apparatus for impressing characters, figures, or letters in any soft or yielding material, or for printing on paper or similar material, or cutting with stencil-punches, the said letters or iigures in paper or other sheet material from a set of single type or punches, in any order or number, as maybe desired by the operator; and consists in an arrangement of mechanical elements, constructed in the manner hereinafter set forth, which I will proceed to describe to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

In the drawing, Arepresents any suitable framework of the apparatus. B is a revolving disk, carrying' type-bearing arms. C is the carriage to carry the material to be operated upon in a direction to form lines. E is the impressing-lever to operate upon the type-arms. The disk B is constructed of the pieces f f', each of which is provided with half -round grooves, as shown. Made continuous with one of the said pieces is the vertical rim or iiange d into which is cut a number of vertical slots. The said disk is provided with a vertical shaft, c, on which the said disk revolves, and is steadied above by the bearings b secured to the frame-work, as shown. c c c are type-bearing arms, radiating out from the disk B. The rear ends of the said arms c c c are rounded, and correspond with the rounded annuh r groove formed in the plates ff', in which the said rounded or knuckle ends work, as shown. The said arms c c c work in the slots made in the rim or flange d of one of the pieces f or f of the said disk B. Springs s s are arranged with the piece f and each arm c, as shown in Figs. l and 2, to cause the said arms o c to lift up. The said arms c, being arranged with the disk B, are

thus rendered capable of a vertical movement of their outer ends, and alsoA of a circular horizontal movement of their said outer ends to or from and over a given point. To each of the outer ends of the said arms c c I attach a punch or cutter, h, bearing a letter, figure, or other character, which punches or cutters h It will'be operated vertically with the outer ends of their arm c c, and also horizontally with the same to or from over a given point, as desired by the operator. I also make, with the said punches h h or their arms c c, the wedge-shaped or beveled pieces z' i, which beveled or wedging pieces are intended to operate with the beveled end of the rack to move the same in one direction when the said arms c c are operated vertically downward. I place beneath the arms c c the guard G, having the slot k, Figs. 1 and 3, at a point in line with and opposite to the shaft a of the disk B, as shown. The said guard Gr is int-ended to prevent the punches or cutters h being thrown down until over the said slot 7c, while the said slot k is intended to permit the said punches or cutters h being thrown down, and also to guide the same in a direct vertical line over one given point. Friction-rollers m m may be placed on each side of the said slot k, between which the arms c c would move when operated vertically. H is the feed bar, one end of which, terminates at the slot 7c with a bevel against which the wedgin g or equivalent piece i of the arms o is intended to strike when the said arms c are cast down, and cause the said feed-bar H to move outward to a distance equal to the thickness of the said wedge i. L is a lever, pivoted at one end to some proper point on the frame, which lever is operated by the movement of the feed-bar H to and from the slot 7c in the guard G. The said lever operates a pawl or dog, p, so as to act on a ratchet-wheel,

and cause it to wind up the cord 1, which connects with the carriage C. The feed-bar H is provided at its outer endwith a regulating screw, o, which screw operates against a suitable stop, and may be set so as to regulate the movement of the feed-bar or throw of the pawl operating the ratchet-wheel or rack which moves the carriage C. The carriage C rests on the lower part of the frame, and is guided by suitable ways and grooves in a lateral direction, and carries a second carriage, D, which carriage D has a movement at right angles to the movement of thelower carriage, and is guided by suitable ways and grooves. E is the impressing lever, provided with a pressing-foot, which foot is attached to the said lever at a point which will bring it (the foot) over the radiating arms c c c of the disk B when any of the said arms c are brought over the slot 7c of the guard G.

The material M to be operated upon, whether wax, paper, soft metal, wood, or other impressible material, is placed on the carriage D and secured thereto, and is brought in position under the range of the slot 7c in the guard at a point where the first impressions are to be made on the material. The operator will then cause the disk or plate to move in either direction to bring some onev of the punches or cutters h with its desired figure or character over the slot 7c in the guard Gr, when he will press down the lever E and cause its pressing-foot to bear down the type-bearing arms c, to which the punches or cutters (having the letters or characters to be impressed) are attached; the downward moving of the said arms c causes the wedging or beveled piece z' on the said arms c to act against the end of the feedbar H to throw it to one side the width of the base of the wedging piece i, when the dog or pawl p will operate the ratchet or rack and cause the carriage to move a short distance. Immediately after this operation is effected, the lever E being pressed down yet further, the punches or cutters h will be pressed down on the material placed on the carriage D to give an impression, print, or cut to the material, according to the character of the punches or cutters and the material operated upon. The lever E is then thrown up, when the spring, acting with the feed-bar H, will cause a return movement of the said feed-bar toward the slot k in the guard G to the limit allowed by the regulating-screw o, which screw limits the movement of the said feed-bar and regulates the spaces between the letters or figures to be impressed. All subsequent downward and return movements of the said impressing-lever will be attended with like results. When a line of characters or letters has been stamped, printed, or cut in the material M the carriage Gis moved back to its iirst position, and the carriage D is moved toward the disk B to any desired distance, when the operation before described is repeated.

By my improvements a person of ordinary intelligence and quickness of motion can, after a little experience, prepare molds for electrotype and stereotype plates, or print directly on paper; or by operating on soft metal or wood can form lettered stamps or blocks for printing or forming matrices for embossing stamps or dies when punches having properly-termed letters or characters are used with the type-bearing arms; and, when stencil-cutting punches are used with this apparatus, stencil-plates can be readily formed by operating on paper or thin sheet metal.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The revolving disk B, constructed as described, and provided with vertical vibrating arms c c bearing type-punches, or cutters h h, arranged so as to be capable of being brought singly over a given point, in combination with the guard G, and feed-bar H provided at one end with a bevel and the other end with a regulatingscrew, o, operating against a stop, and made elastic by a spring, when all are constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The feed-bar H, when operated by the beveled or wedging pieces i i attached to the typepunches, or cutters h h, or their arms c c, in combination with the dog or pawl p, ratchet-wheel q, or their equivalent, and the carriage (l, when all are constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the impressing-lever E provided with the pressing-foot, described, with the revolving and vertically-vibrating arms c c, feed-bar H, ratchet-wheel q, and dog p, or their equivalents, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ALEXANDER SHILAND.

Witnesses ALEX. SELKIRK, Guns. SELKIRK. 

